Know Your Sources

1. Know Your Sources Popular and Scholarly Sources Created by Alice Frye, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

2. Steps in this tutorial • 1) State the goals of this tutorial • 2) What a source is • 3) Why sources matter • 4) The different types of sources • 5) Examples of popular media sources • 6) Examples of scholarly sources • 7) Comparison of information from a popular and a scholarly source on the same topic Created by Alice Frye, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

3. Goal • The goal of this tutorial is to make sure you understand why sources matter in psychology • You should have a clear idea of what a “popular” source is, such as a news paper article, and what a scholarly source is • You should know how and when to use one or the other of these types of sources Created by Alice Frye, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

4. Objectives • By the end of this tutorial you should be able to • Know the general types of sources of information • Know how and why popular and scholarly sources may differ • Know why this matters in your own work Created by Alice Frye, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

5. What is a source? • Psychology as a field is often based on empirical knowledge • Data and observations • Most statements of fact require some kind of source • The source is where the data originated Created by Alice Frye, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

6. Original Source • Suppose you see an article in USA today about depression that says: The CDC states that rates of depression have been stable for the last decade. • The original source of this information is the CDC • That is where you should look if you intend to use this information in a research paper or proposal • You should not trust that USA Today (or any popular media source) is correctly quoting the original source • You should check the original source for yourself and use that for your paper Created by Alice Frye, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

7. Kinds of Sources • There are many different types of sources • Examples include • Popular media • Popular articles • Visual media such as television • Popular magazines and newspapers • Scholarly media • Journal articles • Published studies • Books and monographs Created by Alice Frye, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

8. Popular Media • Popular media sources are usually authored by non-scholars • Reporters • Interested people • People with a goal besides presenting fact based evidence • Popular media often strive to sell advertising and generate broad interest • Popular media usually have a goal of making money or pushing an agenda • Not necessarily presenting fact based evidence Created by Alice Frye, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

9. Popular Media-Examples • Articles from newspapers such as the New York Times or USA Today • Editorials in newspapers, magazines or on television • Interviews with doctors or scientists on television, in newspapers or magazines • Articles in magazines such as Time, Sports Illustrated or Men’s Health • Popular media include both print and online versions Created by Alice Frye, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

10. Popular Media • Are popular media sources without evidence? • No, many popular sources may be factually accurate • But it can be hard to tell • Should you use popular media sources as sources for facts in an empirical paper? • No • You should use a scholarly source Created by Alice Frye, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

11. Scientific Sources • Scholarly sources are usually authored by scholars • People with training and knowledge in a specific field • Who clearly describe the methods used to establish evidence • So you can judge if you believe those methods are valid • Good scholars’ primary goal is to present information • Whether or not it is popular or interesting • Their primary goal is not to make money • Their primary goal is not to push an agenda Created by Alice Frye, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

12. Scholarly Sources-Examples • Articles in Peer Reviewed Journals • Peer review is explained in a different tutorial • Data-based reports published by government organizations such as The Centers for Disease Control or the National Center for Health Statistics • Monographs and scholarly books • Chapters in edited books Created by Alice Frye, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

13. Scholarly Sources • Are scholarly sources always good? • Not always • But they provide information that allows you to judge the quality of the evidence for yourself • Are scholars always unconcerned with money or pushing an agenda? • No. But their first goal should be to present information and evidence • If they are good scholars Created by Alice Frye, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

14. Why use a Scholarly Source? • Scholarly psychology sources must describe the method of data collection • This allows you to judge if the data are good • Scholarly sources are often more specific than popular sources • A popular source may be overly general • A scholarly source may actually only be about a certain, specific type of sample Created by Alice Frye, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

15. Popular Vs. Scientific Source-Example • Yahoo published an online article entitled Too Much Sitting Raises the Odds of Cancer This article was a summary and interpretation of an actual scientific study. The Yahoo article stated: The hours Americans spend sitting may be increasing their risk for cancer, just as the time they spend exercising can reduce the risk, according to new research. Created by Alice Frye, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

16. Popular Vs. Scientific Source-Example • The Yahoo Article was based on a scientific study entitled Inflammatory Marker Changes in a Year-long Randomized Exercise Intervention Trial among Postmenopausal Women • The original study reported changes in biological markers among 230 post menopausal women • It did not conclude that “too much sitting raises the odds of cancer.” • It was not about people in general, but about a very specific sample—women who were past menopause • If you used and cited the Yahoo article as the source of your information, you would be, like Yahoo, distorting and misrepresenting the facts Created by Alice Frye, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

17. Summary • Psychology papers usually require sources • Popular media sources may be appealing because they are convenient and give simple explanations • But popular media sources may distort evidence • Because their goals are to make money or push an agenda • Scholarly sources are a better source of reliable evidence for a psychology paper Created by Alice Frye, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

18. Summary • This tutorial described the difference between popular and scholarly sources • It gave examples of where you would find each type of source • It explained why scholarly sources are preferable • Other tutorials go into more detail about scholarly sources Created by Alice Frye, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Lowell